


TLC

by Reality 2_0 (reality_2_0), Reality 2_1 (reality_2_0)



Category: Political RPF - US 21st c.
Genre: F/M, Menstruation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-24
Updated: 2017-12-25
Packaged: 2019-02-19 16:49:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13127661
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reality_2_0/pseuds/Reality%202_0, https://archiveofourown.org/users/reality_2_0/pseuds/Reality%202_1
Summary: set 1971-73; It took a while, but once he figured it out, he made it his mission to take care of her while she suffered through the pain every month.





	1. Chapter 1

She was different than usual. He couldn’t exactly pinpoint what it was, but he knew something was going on, even though she would smile at him as always and didn’t give any verbal indication that anything was bothering her. 

They were sitting side by side in the library at the moment, and when this nagging feeling didn’t leave him alone, he asked her if she was okay.

Looking up from her book, brushing an errant strand of hair over her shoulder, she frowned at the question but then told him she was. She focused on her book again before he could say anything else. 

No, something was wrong, and he would find out what it was.

Pretending to read the book he’d brought back to the table, he tried to observe her as unobtrusively as possible. 

He smiled to himself, wondering if he should love or hate the fact she could concentrate so completely she forgot the world around her. He decided he loved it, loved her. She was the most intelligent and determined woman he’d ever met, and while she wasn’t a typical homecoming queen, she was beautiful to him, her petite figure making him want to run his hands over her every curve, her eyes so intense he could lose himself in them. 

He had to wait a few minutes but then he caught her lips thinning and she took in a quicker breath than usual. She didn’t even seem to notice, her eyes never straying from the text in front of her. 

It happened again a few minutes later, this times her eyes falling close for a second.

“Are you in pain?” he asked before he could think twice about it.

She looked at him, and he saw the denial in her eyes before she could voice it. Reaching for her hand, it covered it with hers.

“Tell me, please? I’m just worried.”

For the longest moment, he didn’t think she would reply, then she opened her mouth, closed it again before sighing softly.

“It’s just this time of the month,” she finally said, raising an eyebrow as if to dare him to say anything improper.

Oh. Oooh! Of course. So she was in pain, and there was nothing she could do but bear it. Life wouldn’t stop for her only because she was temporarily out of commission. There was nothing he could do, and… No, that wasn’t right. He couldn’t take the pain for her but he could distract her as good as possible.

He stroked over the back of her hand, withdrawing it. “Thanks for telling me.”

She huffs out a laugh. “I’d say my pleasure, but…”

He smiled at her, got up. “Will you wait for me here? I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

If she was puzzled by his sudden retreat, she didn’t let on. He hoped she didn’t think he was abandoning her, that he was uncomfortable with the topic. That wasn’t the case, at all. 

Kissing her briefly, their gaze locked, he couldn’t deny the impulse to cup her cheek and stroke it with his thumb. “I love you,” he whispered, withdrawing before he could think twice about it.

As quickly as possible, he strode to the small coffee shop nearby, happy to see that the line was short.

Ordering her favorite coffee, he hoped it would be worth a smile.

It was.

When he came back, she was still or rather again bent over her books. She looked up when he sat down beside her again. Her mouth opened as if to say something, then her eyes fell on the coffee cup he placed in front of her, and her lips curved into a smile.

“I know, it’s not much…,” he began, but she interrupted him. “This is perfect, thank you.”

“Good. And if there’s anything else…”

This time, she leaned in, shutting him up with a tender and way too short kiss.

“If there’s anything else, I’ll let you know.”

They both knew it wasn’t likely she’d ever ask him for anything because of something that she considered a mere nuisance anyway. However, he vowed he’d keep an eye on her in hopes to be there for her when she needed him.

~*~

It was two months later when he learned that back pains were obviously part of the deal as well. 

His day had been busy as had been hers, and he could only pry himself away from his workload in the late evening. Upon finally coming home, he found her in the kitchen where she was heating water. She had a piece of paper in one hand, the other one resting on the small of her back.

Instead of announcing himself, he watched her rubbing her back, sighing softly while she was oblivious to the world around her. The kettle began to whistle, and she put the piece of paper down, turning to the water. He could see her face then, and there was the frown he’d seen before.

She spotted him then, a smile replacing the frown. “I didn’t expect you so soon.”

“It’s a bit after nine.”

Surprised, she looked at her watch before pouring water into a cup with a teabag.

“I didn’t realize how quickly time passed tonight.”

“It did. You look tired.”

She had dark circles under her eyes and she was paler than usual. Being the consummate perfectionist, she never rested enough when there was an exam ahead or a paper due. 

“I am. But I still have to go through one script.”

She put the kettle back onto the stove, taking the cup and the formerly discarded piece of paper with her to their living room.

He, too, had some work to do, but when didn’t he? 

“The script will still be there tomorrow,” he called after her, getting out of his jacket and his shoes.

“True, but…”

“How about we get up half an hour or an hour earlier tomorrow?”

He entered the living room, saw she had sat down already.

“I don’t know. I should be done within an hour.”

Although she didn’t look as if she had another hour within her.

“How about you turn your back to me, and I’ll give you a massage?”

“Why?”

He laughed out. “Why not? You look like you might need it.”

Understanding crossed her features, followed by surprise.

“How?”

“I’m a good observer.” He shrugged. “Now come on before the offer expires.”

Smiling at him, she scooted closer, hugging him before touching her lips lightly to his. Pulling back, she turned her back to him.

“Have I mentioned lately that I love you?”

He started with kneading her shoulders.

“Yes, you have, and I love you, too.”

He did, and he hoped she would give him the chance to prove it for many years to come. However, that was a discussion for another time. 

~*~

He knew about her frowns, knew about her back pain, but the first time she didn’t even want to eat a bite, he knew it had to be especially bad.

He would have to lie if he said he could understand the kind of pain she was in. How could he? No good will in the world would make him understand how bad this all had to feel for her. He would always take care of her as much as she would let him, and yet, it was all he could do. Sometimes he didn’t even realize until the worst was over when it was time again and then only because she wouldn’t want to be intimate with him.

Today, there was no way he wouldn’t notice the state she was in. Thankfully, it was Sunday, and they didn’t have to be anywhere. The semester had only ended a few days ago, and although they had both more than enough on their plate for the next weeks, they had today off.

When he’d woken up early, he had left the bed so she could sleep a while longer, and had made himself comfortable in the living room, finishing a book he’d started a few days ago. 

When it had begun to dawn, he had dressed quietly and left to get them something for breakfast. They had been all out of eggs, and he had wanted to surprise her with scrambled eggs for breakfast. They both couldn’t be called passionate chefs but simple eggs didn’t pose a challenge. 

When he had returned, he had hung up his jacket as quietly as possible, gotten out of his shoes and been on his way to the kitchen when he had heard a noise from the bathroom. Looking into their bedroom first, he had found it deserted, so she had to be in the bathroom. Knowing she’d find him sooner or later, he had started coffee, begun to scramble the eggs when she entered the room, embracing him from behind.

“Hey,” he greeted her and switched on the stove. “How do eggs for breakfast sound?”

She tensed a little, sighed so quietly he more felt than heard it.

Switching off the stove again, he turned around, putting his arms around her waist.

“What’s the matter?”

“Nothing, I’m just not terribly hungry.”

He almost believed her, only that he knew that look, realized where the tenseness came from.

“Will you ever stop trying to hide your pain from me?”

He touched his lips to her forehead, lingering but a second before pulling away.

This time when she sighed it was more of an impatient huff.

“It’s not that I hide anything from you, it’s just not something worth talking about. I can’t change it, you can’t change it, it’s not life threatening and will be over soon.”

He understood where she was coming from. She was right, and as an independent woman, she didn’t like to rely on anybody for something she considered trivial, but…

“You are right, but I happen to like taking care of you,” he said. “What about when I was out because of that cold last time?”

“What about it?” she asked.

“You took care of me for almost three days. How many cups of tea did you brew me? How often did you fetch me a new shirt because I sweated through another one? And who insisted on rubbing ointment on my chest each night?” he fired questions at her.

“But that was…”

“Different? No, it wasn’t. I love you, and that means I’ll care for you when you feel miserable.”

“But…”

“No buts. You’ll have to learn to deal with it.”

He kissed her tenderly to take the sting out of his words, was glad when she didn’t resist and actually a fraction of her tension seemed to drain away. 

“I really don’t stand a chance, do I?”

“Nope, you don’t, and as we have planned exactly nothing for today, I’ll draw you a bath, and later you, I and a hot water bottle will curl up on the couch.”

She smiled at him, then laughed. “There’s no convincing you to just ignore this, is there?”

“How well do you know me?”

Instead of replying, she nestled closer to him, resting her head against his chest. Tightening his hold on her fractionally, he closed his eyes for a moment.

What was it about this woman that woke urges in him he hadn’t felt before? Did it matter? No. 

It was with reluctance, he pulled away from her eventually. 

“Come on.”

He took her hand into his, and together they moved toward the bathroom.

“I’m sorry about the eggs,” she said.

“Don’t be. I’m hungry enough for the two of us. I’ll have them while you soak. And later when you feel like eating something, we’ll have some soup or whatever you’d like.”

One free day didn’t seem to be much, but it was for them, and if he spent it caring for the woman he loved, he’d consider it a day well spent.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please note the change of rating.

It had been snowing all day. Putting his book away when it got too dark to read without turning the lights on, he found her in front of the window, hugging herself, looking outside. 

To be that still wasn’t like her, her mind usually racing a mile a minute while she worked on this or that, right up to the point when exhaustion forced her to rest. The only times he found her to be that still was when she was focused on reading a book, treating herself to a time-out. 

“What’s there to see?” he asked, stepping up beside her. Since the last time he had looked outside, a storm had picked up, swirling thick snowflakes up and around before they settled on the ground, gradually adding inch by inch of snow. If it stayed that way, they’d most likely be stuck home tomorrow. 

“Nothing,” she said, not even looking up at him, sounding like her mind was far away.

She was holding her back, and it took just one look at her face to know she was in pain.

“What do you need?” he asked her.

She finally met his gaze, and he could see she was about to say ‘nothing’ but when he raised an eyebrow, her gaze softened.

“I think a cup of hot tea and an even hotter water bottle sound like an idea.”

“Then you shall have it.”

“I can do that myself, you know.”

“And make me feel entirely useless? No way.”

She got up on her toes, and although he expected her to kiss him properly, her lips only grazed his cheeks.

“Consider it down payment.”

Cheeky. Not trying to hide his smile, he went into the kitchen. Slowly but surely, he was chipping away at her natural resistance of accepting help. She wasn’t weak just because she let him draw her a bath or give her a hot water bottle to soothe the sting of cramps that left her tight-lipped. 

“Why don’t you warm the bed for the two of us?”

“Now? It’s not even fully dark yet.”

“And? You’ll be comfortable, and I thought I could read you something.”

They shared a long look.

Finally, she nodded. “That sounds good.”

She left for the bedroom, and once the tea was ready, he joined her, a cup in one hand, the hot water bottle in the other. She sat propped up in bed, and he handed her the hot water bottle, placing the cup of tea on the nightstand. 

Getting into bed beside her, it felt strange to do so almost fully clothed. Not that it mattered, he was glad she had taken his suggestion. 

“Why don’t you hand me the book you started yesterday?” he asked her.

“Could you… would you… just hold me first?”

“Of course.”

He would hold her for however long she needed or wanted him to. Slipping under the covers, he held out his arm to her, and she sidled closer, releasing a soft breath.

“That bad?”

“Yeah.”

He rubbed her arm with his hand.

“I’m sorry, darling.”

“Nothing you can do.”

She took in a deep breath, tensed. He put his free hand on her stomach under the hot water bottle, ignoring the heat, and began to rub her stomach slowly.

Without conscious thought, he nuzzled her neck a while later, pressed his lips against her shoulder. She hummed and snuggled closer against him. Instinctively, his hand trailed lower down her body, but was intercepted by her before more than his fingertips covered her panties.

At that moment, the reason for their being in bed to begin with came back to him. “Sorry,” he said quietly, started to retreat, but she held him close.

“It’s alright. Things would just get messy.” Her tone was apologetic, but also held a hint of regret which told him that he had read her correctly, that his advances weren’t unwelcome. Apparently, she was worried about offending his male sensitivities rather than turned off by the idea herself.

“I don’t care,” he assured her. But just to make sure they were indeed on the same page, he asked, “Do you want me to stop?”

“No, it’s just that…”

He rolled her onto her back and cut her off with a long kiss which he eventually ended by pulling away very slowly, just far enough for him to look her into the eyes. “It doesn’t disgust me. It doesn’t make me uncomfortable. It’s just blood, and we have running water,” he stated, wanting there to be no doubt left in her mind about his feelings regarding this matter. “I love you. I want you to feel better. And if this is a good way…”

“It is, actually,” she confirmed quietly.

“Good, then lean back and enjoy.” He smiled at her tenderly.

She let go off his hand and wrapped both her arms around his neck to pull him down for a deep kiss. “I love you.” The amount of gratitude laced with these words gave him pause. Just what had a former boyfriend or lover done for her to be this shy about this? Shouldn’t she know by now that all he wanted was to take care of her? That female facts of life didn’t make him run in the opposite direction? That he would happily browse the feminine hygiene section for her, stand in line and pay for whatever she needed from there?

However, he had been warned, not only by her reluctance to even share the basic fact with him, but also by a female friend whom he had approached about remedies for bad cramps. Since Hillary’s default way of dealing with them was to pretend they didn’t exist no matter how bad they got, he had to look for other options elsewhere.

After inquiring if he was for real and getting his earnest confirmation that he desperately needed that information to possibly help his girlfriend, his friend had hugged him and launched into a rant about how the world needed more guys like him before catching herself and lecturing him on the powers of warmth, relaxation and exercise. The divine combination of which was sexual activity and fulfillment either in bed or a hot bath. She had cautioned him, though, that not every woman was comfortable with the idea or responded positively to it. Some preferred not to be touched during that time of the months or chose to do it for themselves; others wouldn’t even entertain the thought at all. He would have to be sensitive approaching the subject with her, and open for every reaction. He had nodded and thanked his friend for her candor. Ever since, he had contemplated how to best broach the subject as it wasn’t exactly a topic to bring up between coffee and toast at the breakfast table. Not yet, anyway.

He considered himself lucky that it had turned out to be rather easy and painless – metaphorically speaking – in the end, and even luckier that she had responded positive.

He loved touching her, being intimate with her. If it actually helped relieving some of her pain, it was even better. Pretty much a win-win situation.

“I love you, too.” He proceeded to kiss her softly while his hand moved further down her body. Unhesitant, she spread her legs to allow him easier access to her.

Wishing for it to serve as a mental distraction as much as a physical relief, he started slow, stroked her through her panties. She responded by languidly rolling her hips, ignorant of the water bottle slipping off her stomach. He followed her movement, didn’t lose contact, kept circling her clitoris with firm rubs. All the while, his mouth played with hers. His lips tugged at her lower one, his teeth gently bit it. His tongue first traced her lips, then sneaked past them to tangle with its partner.

They continued like that until she reached the point where she wanted, needed more. Normally, he would enjoy teasing her for longer, but today, it wasn’t all about the fun, especially not his. Thus he slipped his hand into her panties, two fingers between her labia, finding her slick.

Her breathy moans became stronger as he pushed the tip of middle finger into her, rotating it slightly, massaging her inner walls while his thumb put pressure on her clitoris, rubbing it at a graduate pace.

She grabbed his hand and pressed it down. “Please.”

Having gotten the message loud and clear, he increased the stimulation – the pressure, the rhythm, the pace. He knew what she liked, how to touch her to make her climax. Putting that knowledge to use effectively, it didn’t take long for her to come under his ministrations.

Eventually, he eased his touch, but didn’t let go until the aftershock had subsided.

“Better?” he asked.

“For now,” she acknowledged. “Thank you.”

“Never for that, darling. And I’ll gladly do it again later.” He placed a soft kiss on her forehead and got out of the bed. “Be right back,” he promised as he headed in the direction of the bathroom.

In the meantime, she curled around the water bottle again. It wasn’t quite as hot any longer, but still sufficiently warm.

When he returned, he spooned her from behind, and moved his hand into her line of vision.

“See, no harm done,” he declared with a grin. “Hand’s still in one piece, no burns, no rotting, no nothing.”

She elbowed him, giggling. “Stop it.”

“Only if you promise to stop suffering in silence. I might not be able to do much, but I want to do as much as I can. Please.”

She nodded. “I’ll try. Old habits die hard, but I’ll try. I promise.”

“Thank you.” He tightened his arms around her. “Anything you need right now?”

“No, but you promised to read.”

“That I did.”

And read he did.

That day and many other days, whenever she wanted him to.

The End.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it from us this year. Thank you for all your kudos and comments. They are very much appreciated. :)  
> The regular posting schedule will resume in January.  
> Happy Holidays, everyone!


End file.
